Malankara Orthodox Church backs BJP leader for saving historical shrine in Kerala from demolition ANI | Updated: Mar 05, 2021 18:50 IST
Alappuzha (Kerala) [India], March 5 (ANI): After interventions were made by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to save a 1000-year-old Christian church in Kerala s Alappuzha district from demolition, the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC) has decided to support the BJP leader who took the initiative to protect it.
St George Orthodox Church Cheppad faced the demolition threat due to a proposed widening of a national highway. Fr KM Varghese Kaleekkal the former vicar of that church said that it was BJP leader Dr R Balashankar who helped the church during the crisis.
Kerala church that was sent to be demolished for road widening now monument of national importance
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ASI writes to NHAI to propose new alignment for widening National Highway 66
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ASI writes to NHAI to propose new alignment for widening National Highway 66
Centuries-old St. George’s Orthodox Church at Cheppad has faced the risk of demolition for widening of National Highway (NH) 66, but it is now set to be declared a Centrally protected monument of national importance by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
Last month, as directed by the ASI Director General, a team of officials from the ASI Thrissur circle inspected the church and recommended its preservation. K.P. Mohandas, superintending archaeologist, wrote a letter to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) urging it to propose a new alignment for the NH.
Heritage or highway
In Kerala, where money drives development in areas with virtually no vacant land left, several regions often suffer the loss of historic and cultural architecture. One such landmark facing demolition is the over 800-year-old St George’s Orthodox Church in Cheppad, with its rich collection of beautiful murals of epochal significance.
The murals, painted with pigments from minerals and natural dyes, belong to the pre-Renaissance period and display the blend between Kerala mural art and Persian art. But the church, along with its precious artwork, may soon be a thing of the past as authorities are considering dismantling a portion of the church for the NH 66 road-widening project.